The Department of the Interior will cut the amount of water it allocates through the Colorado River to Arizona, Nevada, and California in 2027 and 2028.
The cuts were signed off by Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum on Aug. 21 as part of the department’s 2027-2028 Operating Guidelines for the Colorado River, which provides water to over 40 million people, generates hydropower for seven states, and is a vital resource for 30 tribes and two Mexican states.
The Colorado River Basin is experiencing historically low runoff and reservoir levels amid a 26-year drought, which worsened recently after the winter of 2025–2026 resulted in the lowest observed snowpack on record….